Home Comforts
by moonfairy13
Summary: Fred and George make their way to The Burrow earlier than usual one Sunday. They want to talk to their parents before the Weasley family lunch about a rather important development in their lives...


Fred sat down at the kitchen table, pulling the chair beside him out for his brother. George nodded to his father, who was cradling a cup of tea in his large hands. From the stains on his fingers, George guessed that Arthur had been tinkering with his latest acquisition, an old green Ford Cortina, when the twins had arrived and asked their mother if they could all speak together.

"Is everything OK?" Arthur looked into George's eyes, having known for twenty years that the younger twin was less able to tell a direct lie than Fred.

"Yeah, it's fine, Dad. We just want to talk to you."

"About something important."

"Very important."

Molly had been preparing the traditional Weasley Sunday lunch when her sons arrived, and she finished using her wand to spell the pans to continue cooking before bringing her own mug to the old wooden table.

"This sounds serious." Molly looked between her sons' faces, seeing the same concern reflected in both.

"It is." Fred looked at George.

"But not bad," his brother replied.

"No, not bad at all."

"Actually really quite good."

"Potentially very good."

"Good for us."

"Amazing for us." Fred's eyes seemed to lose focus until his father interrupted the back and forth conversation, placing one hand on Fred's.

"Boys…" Arthur began. "Just tell us what's going on for you, before everyone else arrives. How can we help?"

George breathed in deeply, looking at Fred, and the elder twin nodded before they both looked at Molly.

"We wanted to talk to you about your brothers," he said.

Molly looked slightly startled. She hadn't expected that. She sipped her tea while she gathered her thoughts. Then she smiled; not a sad smile exactly, but certainly a wistful one.

"You remind me so much of them, especially now you're grown. They would have loved you..." She nodded, composing herself and sitting up a little straighter in her chair. "What would you like to know?"

The twins looked at each other for support and it was again George who began.

"It is true that they fell in love with the same woman?"

"Couldn't bear to be apart?"

"Didn't like the thought of different marriages weakening their twin bond?"

Molly nodded; her eyes now glistening with tears.

"They did. She was called Sarah; she was the most amazing witch." Molly looked up in an attempt to stem the flow of tears, and George's hand moved to rest upon her freckled arm. He stroked her skin with his thumb as she continued, crying freely now. "She adored them both, and it was just – right. Until the war, and – well, you know what happened then…"

"What did everyone think when they first got together?" asked Fred quietly. "How did they react?"

This time it was Arthur who spoke.

"In any unusual situation, some people are going to be more open-minded than others, son. But the important thing is that those who loved them understood and accepted their bond. Home was always a safe space for them, no matter what the occasional idiot in the outside world thought."

"It's pretty ancient magic, you know," said their mother quietly, rising from the table and heading towards the corner of the room. "I have something for you. It was theirs. I saved it for you two, just in case." Molly delved into her knitting bag, pulling a tattered book from it. Half of the spine was missing and a few long glittery strands of yarn had become stuck to the jagged remains of dried glue, but Fred sensed its value and took it from her reverently.

"You can read it properly later," she continued, "but I think it'll answer some of your questions. From what I can tell, you've got the same kind of twin bond as Fabian and Gideon. You're not drawn to each other in a romantic way or anything, but you'll be drawn to the idea of being with the same woman. If you can find one who loves you both, who's OK with a more – well, unusual way of life, your magic can interweave with hers and you'll become a triad."

George looked at Fred and then at his parents. "Well that's the thing."

Fred nodded. "Mmmmmm. We think we've found her."

"We know we've found her," George corrected, frowning at him.

"Yes," said Fred. "You're right. We have found her. And we wanted to tell you first."

"We love her."

"And we're gonna be with her whatever."

"But it would be so great if you and Dad were OK. Behind us."

"That's why we wanted to talk to you before we tell anyone else." Fred bit his lip, in a slightly nervous gesture that Molly hadn't seen since his voice broke.

Molly rose and scooped both of her sons into her arms, pressing her own cheeks to each of theirs.

"Oh, my boys," she said. "Of course I'm OK with it. I'm so much more than OK with it! I can't wait to meet her." She leaned back and cupped Fred's face in her hand, smiling. "When are you going to let your old mum at her? I promise I'll tone it down a bit."

The floorboards squeaked as George pushed his chair back.

"Right now, mum. If you're ready? We brought her with us. She's waiting outside."

Molly's eyes became wide, and she wiped the last tears from them with the heels of her hands. "George Fabian Weasley! You mean to say you've left my next daughter-in-law out in the garden! Go and get her, now!"

George laughed and ducked out of the way of the cuff that his mum pretended to aim at his remaining ear. As he headed for the door, Fred turned to Arthur and smiled. "You ready for this, dad?"

"Son," said Arthur. "I've been ready for this since you were born. We always suspected you might have this kind of bond. Your uncles were convinced of it." He laughed, remembering. "The two of you wouldn't allow us to put you in different beds til you were three."

"OK," said George, coming back in the door. Fred went to stand beside the witch who was removing her coat as she entered the kitchen behind him. "Mum, Dad, we'd like to introduce you to the love of our life."

Molly gasped, and Arthur clapped his hands together as Fred took their girlfriend's coat and hung it by the door. "Oh my," he said. "Molly…"

"Hermione?" she whispered. "Is it really true? They had better not be teasing me. I'll hex them to Somerset if they are."

"It's true, Molly," replied Hermione, patting Fred on the arm in thanks. "Are you OK with this?" She looked at the witch who had been like a second mother to her. "I know it's unusual, but it just happened, and I, I –"

Whatever she was going to say was cut off. But not by the parent that some might have expected given Molly Weasley's penchant for hugging the breath out of her loved ones. It was, in fact, Arthur Weasley who scooped the younger witch into his arms first and crushed her to his chest.

"So glad," he said, rather more gruffly than usual. "If anyone's going to keep them in line –"

"Darling," breathed Molly, joining the hug. "I should have guessed. I mean, I saw you and Fred looking at each other once or twice at Ron's wedding, but I never imagined –"

"That's the evening we all got together," said Fred.

A mumbled sentence came from Hermione.

"What was that, love?" George leaned in, stretching his hand to stroke her hair.

"I said they probably don't need details, Fred!"

"We'll save that for your hen do, lovely," Molly whispered into Hermione's ear, making her giggle. "Right now, we need a fresh cup of tea. With a bit of firewhisky I think, please Arthur. It'd be rude not to celebrate such an auspicious moment, even if it's only eleven thirty."

As Molly rose to put the kettle on and Arthur moved in the other direction in search of the firewhisky, Fred and George looked at each other, grinning and then raising their eyebrows in mutual satisfaction. This had gone better than they could have hoped. They both sat down again, George pulling Hermione onto his lap. Fred's gaze relaxed as he followed Hermione's eyes.

"Yeah, mum's given us a book to read. Thought that'd make you happy, love."

Hermione turned to him and poked her tongue out before smiling broadly and taking his hand. "I AM happy. I want to learn more about what this means."

George leaned forward and picked a bit of sparkling yarn off the cover as Fred pushed the book towards them. As Hermione opened it carefully and began to read, George carefully tied the yarn onto one of her bushy curls. She gave no sign of having noticed.

"Very lovely," said Fred.

George nodded. "I thought so, mate."

Hermione absent-mindedly entwined her fingers with Fred's as she sat in George's arms and quietly read about triadic bonds. They didn't know what the future would hold. They couldn't be sure that everyone else would be as positive as their parents had been, although they would soon find out how the rest of their family felt when they arrived for Sunday lunch. For now, though, things were peaceful. It might be the calm before the storm, but they were going to enjoy the comforts of home, tea and firewhisky with their mum and dad before they had to face the rest of the world.


End file.
